Exceptions
by etthealien7
Summary: Sirius Black was convinced that he would never fall in love. Marlene McKinnon was determined not to make the same mistake again. They could only hope they were the exceptions to each other's rule. (Includes some James and Lily. Relatively canon-based. Warning: lots of fluff. :D)
1. Marauder Business

_Marauder Business_

_Sirius_

I knew I was screwed the instant she messed up my hair.

The pretty offender greeted me with a smile as she plopped down on the common room couch in the middle of my group of friends. She'd barely touched me - just playfully trailed her fingers along the ends of my shaggy hair, not even making contact with my skin, subtly enough that it could've been an accident - but I felt a chill ripple through me all the same.

As a rule, I hated when people touched my hair. James did it sometimes to annoy me, and the few girls I've kissed had done it, and I tolerated it then. In fact, those were the only times I tolerated it, no matter how innocent the gesture.

But when _she_ had done it – and I knew it was her, because I'd smelled her rosewater perfume a half-second before it'd happened – I'd tensed for a very different reason...and, rules be damned, I'd _smiled_. What confused me even more was that the instinctual desire to fix my hair never came – quite the opposite. It was like her slight and careless gesture had produced a delicate work of art, and I was afraid that my own touch would ruin it. That's when I finally realized what was wrong with me.

I had a crush on James's second cousin, the best Gryffindor Chaser since Fabius Watkins, and the most fearless girl in our year: Marlene McKinnon.

_...Well, shit._

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach - either with dread or childish nervousness, I wasn't sure which. The realization made no sense to me. I didn't _have_ crushes. Sure, I'd been attracted to a lot of girls, but I'd never really been interested in any of them - nothing beyond a good snogging here and there. I'd definitely never gotten hung up on one girl, either – not like James had been on Lily for the past six years, until she'd finally warmed up to him a few months ago. But I couldn't resist reflecting Marlene's playful smile right back at her.

_Wait...is she flirting with me?_

It wasn't the first time the thought had struck me, but it was the first time it lingered for more than a second. I'd known Marlene from taking the same classes and playing on the same Quidditch team for over six years now. Ever since James and Lily had gotten together, she'd been hanging out around us a lot more frequently. Even when Lily wasn't around, she seemed at ease joking with me and my three mates. She definitely considered me a friend. I was sure of that much. But for the first time, I found myself seriously wondering if the lighthearted chemistry between us might be more than that.

Thankfully, Marlene didn't seem to catch that train wreck of thought that had just sped through my mind in all of three seconds. "Coming to the Halloween party tonight?" She asked as she sunk into the cushion next to me. Her caramel eyes were fixed on me expectantly, and her lips were curved in the slightest of smiles.

"If you'll be there, darling, I wouldn't miss it for the world," I replied smoothly, ignoring my stupid nerves so I could charm her as usual. "What are you dressing up as?"

She tossed her auburn hair over her shoulders and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. "I'm thinking an angel." James snorted from the couch across from us, and she shot him a glare. "A fallen angel, mind you."

"Ah, there's the Marlene I know," he joked. Next to him, Lily stifled a laugh.

"What about you two?" Marlene teased dryly, even though she already knew the answer. "Going as Beauty and the Beast?"

"Very funny, but I don't think we're doing a couple's costume," James replied. "I think I'd make a much better inferi than a beast, and that doesn't really fit with a nurse...well, unless Lily's an awful nurse."

Lily gave him a mock-offended look. "You think I'd kill a patient? Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

"Maybe you're an evil nurse," he suggested. "Maybe we have a history. You murdered me, and I came back for revenge."

"Now _that's_ an interesting couple's costume," Remus murmured beside me, and a smile broke through Lily's annoyed pout.

Marlene turned her determined eyes on him. "You're coming too, right, Remus?" Her tone made it more of a command than a question.

"Of course," he answered. "I'll be the scariest one there."

James and I exchanged knowing looks. Marlene seemed intrigued. "What are you going as?"

"Myself."

Lily laughed in surprise. Marlene crossed her arms. "The prefect who went out of his way to talk to a crying first year last week? I'm terrified."

"You haven't seen me when I'm angry," Remus insisted in a serious tone, but his expression gave him away.

"Right. I'll believe it when I see it." When Marlene turned back to me, I thought I saw her smile grow a bit. "What about you, Sirius? A pirate, I take it?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why is that the default?"

"Long hair, dramatic, calls himself a Marauder, gallivants around breaking rules...do I need to go on?"

James and Remus chuckled. I did my best to look aghast. "Dramatic? Me? Never."

Her lips twitched like she was trying not to laugh. "Are you agreeing to the rest, then?"

I shrugged. "I was planning on improvising a costume tonight. I thought I'd make a good vampire, but I _suppose_ I could manage a pirate, if you insist. You'd better be careful, though," I added innocuously. "Pirates are also known for stealing hearts, among other things."

She eyed me warily. "Make one joke about 'booty' and you're off the Quidditch Team."

I let out a bark of laughter, more out of surprise than anything. Lily covered her face and groaned, "_Marly_!"

"That's not where I was going with that," I promised, still grinning. "I'm not that kind of pirate."

She was still trying to look skeptical, but her brown eyes shone with amusement. "I'll be sure to stock up on Vitamin C, just in case."

That look in her eyes made my heart thump. Then I noticed James watching me with an expression that made me feel like I'd swallowed an ice cube. It was like his typical scheming frown, except his eyes weren't distant and analytical – they were fixed on me. I could practically feel him reading my mind. The connection worked both ways, though. I knew exactly what he was going to do next, no matter how many times I sent the message: _Don't you dare._

After giving Lily a decisive peck on the cheek, he stood up from the couch. "Sorry, ladies. If you'll excuse us, I believe we have some important business to attend to in the dormitories," he announced cheerily. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot." He inclined his head toward the staircase.

The two girls frowned in bewilderment. I tried to keep my face neutral like the others. "You can't talk down here?" Lily asked. She was attempting a light tone, but she couldn't quite hide the hint of hurt.

"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't be very interested," James insisted with a subtle wink at his girlfriend, which was his way of saying, _I'll tell you later_. "It's Marauder business."

Marlene looked amused. "You'll tell the prefect all of your plans, but not us?" She teased, and Remus grimaced.

"Hey, the prefect's on our side," James joked. "And so is the Head Boy, as a matter of fact. But the Head Girl? She's a wild card." He winked at Lily again, this time for show.

Lily smiled shrewdly. "Just don't destroy the Halloween party, all right?"

James grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

As soon as our bedroom door closed behind me, I threw James a glare and said, "You're a prat."

"And you're flirting with my favorite cousin," he replied evenly.

I scowled, but I didn't see the point in arguing. He knew me too well. "Is this the part where you threaten to kill me if I mess around with her?" I asked dryly.

"I'm not threatening you, mate. I'm just glad you've finally figured it out."

"Excuse me?"

He and Remus rolled their eyes in sync. "You've been flirting with each other for months, Padfoot," Remus said wearily. "Even before James and Lily got together."

Taken aback, I stammered for a second. "She's—I haven't—it's different, alright? We're friends." Remus raised his eyebrows, and James smiled. "Shut up," I growled at them.

James chuckled. "You're full of shit."

I opened my mouth to argue. Then I thought about it, and I had to hold back that stupid, giddy smile. I tried to sound innocently curious. "You think she's flirting with me?"

James shrugged. "It certainly seems like it. Marlene is an outgoing person, though, so it's hard to be sure."

"_I'm_ an outgoing person," I pointed out.

"You're also not subtle," James said with an impish grin, and I glowered at him.

"You've never paid that much attention to any other girl," Remus added before I could protest. "Not even close. And she seems to respond well to it..."

I took a deep breath, feeling jittery. "Alright, fine. You caught me. Did we really have to have a bloody meeting just so you could call me out?"

James frowned. "No. The bloody meeting is to tell you to go for it, Paddy. You've got a good shot here, and you should take it."

My stomach turned_. _"What, like, tell her I fancy her? That sounds like a horrible idea."

James's hazel eyes were calm behind his glasses. "Why? That's what you told me to do with Lily. 'Be honest, and she'll come around.'"

I shook my head at my own advice. "This is different. First off, I'm awful at talking about that sappy stuff. Also, you spent years trying to convince Lily not to hate you, and she already knew you had a thing for her, because you made it obvious. You didn't have anything to lose. Marly's a great friend. I don't want to lose that."

"Are you still going to be happy being her friend, now that you know how you feel?" Remus asked sagely.

Familiar images filled my mind: her fearless smile, those warm brown eyes, the determined scowl that she wore on the Quidditch pitch, that rare laugh when she threw her head back like she didn't have a care in the world. I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to scoop her up into my arms like she was mine...to pull her close to me and kiss her...to have her fingers threading through my hair much less subtly and much more purposefully than before. The happy daydream left me feeling more rattled than ever.

_Damn, I have it bad._

I grumbled, "You know, Moony, sometimes I really hate it when you're right." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "But what if..." I blurted and then stopped myself, realizing I sounded like a whiny kid. Correcting my tone, I pushed on, "What if I screw it up? I've never actually had a girlfriend. I don't want her to be just one of those girls."

James looked a bit exasperated. "You let her touch your hair, mate, and you _liked_ it. That's more than you gave all the other girls you've been with. If Marlene can be the exception to that rule, who's to say she can't be an exception to the other ones too?"

After a moment, I nodded, feeling strangely optimistic. I supposed that giddy smile was back, because James gave me a smug look that was unusually hard to translate. "What are you smirking at?" I snapped, forcing a scowl.

"Oh, I'm just glad I'm finally not the only one making a fool of myself over a girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, Prongs, I'll never be as bad as you."

James just smiled like he knew something I didn't.


	2. Not-So-Secret Code

_Not-So-Secret Code_

_Lily_

"So. Marauder business, huh?"

James raised his eyebrows at me, which looked kind of funny now because of the way I'd blended them. I had just finished applying a hearty coating of gray eye shadow in large circles around his eyes, and I had moved on to touching up his cheeks to give him a creepy, starved look. He'd asked me to help him with his inferi makeup for the party tonight, and what girl wouldn't jump at the chance to play makeup artist on her boyfriend? Plus, since we were alone in my bedroom (Marlene and Mary were getting ready in the bathroom), it provided me with the perfect opportunity to question him.

"Sorry, Lil," he answered solemnly. "I'm bound by a Marauder code of honor."

"You're sure you can't tell me?" I teased, meeting his eyes for a half-second. Our faces were only a few inches apart; I could smell his shampoo. He swallowed, glancing at my lips and then looking away.

"I'm pretty sure I shouldn't."

I smiled, reveling in his expression. James Potter was _nervous _because of _me_. I hadn't gotten to see that side of him until we'd started dating. At first, I'd thought that he'd only been badgering me all those years for superficial reasons, like a sort of ultimate conquest. The past few months had proven otherwise. Once he'd finally matured a bit, I'd decided to give him a chance - and he seemed determined to make it the best decision of my life. The random gifts, kisses, elaborate dates, and near-constant flirting were all lovely too, of course, but his uncharacteristic shyness was another happy reminder that I really did mean a lot to him.

"Okay then," I said airily, going back to outlining his cheekbones.

He looked visibly relieved. "I definitely want to tell you," he assured hastily. "And I will, eventually. You might even find out on your own."

"Mm-hmm."

"You're not mad, right?"

"Of course not. If I told you all the stuff _my_ friends tell me, I'd wake up with spiders crawling out of my ears or my head permanently stuck to my pillow."

James smirked to himself. "Sirius usually goes for the hang-you-out-of-the-Astronomy-tower threat."

"It's about Sirius?"

He tensed for a half-second – short enough that most people would've missed it. I wasn't most people. Then his shoulders relaxed, and he replied calmly, "I was just giving an example."

I smiled faintly. "Uh-huh." The blush creeping into his cheeks made me feel giddy...and then a bit mean. I tried for a more sheepish smile. "Sorry. I don't mean to pry. If it makes you feel any better, I think I already know."

James gave me an intrigued look. Even with the inferi makeup, it was an attractive expression. "Oh, really?"

I paused, glancing over my shoulder at the closed bedroom door. Then I turned back to him and said softly, "He has a thing for Marlene, doesn't he?" The flash of surprise in my boyfriend's eyes was all the answer I needed. He opened his mouth, but I put my finger to his lips. "No need to break your honor code."

He chuckled quietly, looking both impressed and relieved. "How did you figure it out?"

I smirked. "I have eyes and ears, James. They don't hide it very well."

His smile became adorably sheepish. "Right." Then he fixed me with a hopeful look. "When you say 'they'..."

"Did you already forget the 'head stuck to a pillow' thing?"

"Right. Sorry." Wearing an innocent look, he gazed at me in silence for a few seconds.

I kept my expression open as I put the final touches on his makeup. Then I leaned back and announced, "Done!"

James's focus was elsewhere. "You think she's into him," he concluded, smirking. I shrugged noncommittally, feeling a bit uneasy. "Has she said anything to you?"

I gave him an exasperated look. "Now who's prying?"

He winced. "That's fair. Forget I asked."

I sighed and looked over my shoulder again. I could still hear the hiss of the shower from the bathroom; that was a good sign. "She talks about him a lot," I confessed, and James's eyes lit up. "Personally, I think she either hasn't realized it yet, or she doesn't want to admit it." He grinned, and I gave him a sober look. "Just promise me you won't tell Sirius. She'd kill me if she knew I encouraged this."

He nodded solemnly and held up his hand like he was making a pledge. "Marauder code of honor."

"I'm so reassured," I muttered dryly.

"It's usually very meaningful..."

"I'm not even a Marauder, James."

"Sure, you are. You can be an honorary one."

"What's my quirky nickname then?"

James pouted. "They're not quirky!"

"'Moony'?"

He paused. "Okay, that one's a little quirky."

I laughed. "They all are!"

He sighed in defeat, but he couldn't stop smiling. "Alright. What do you want yours to be?"

I thought for a moment. "I don't know. How do you usually come up with them?"

He hesitated, and I saw another flash of unease in his eyes. I knew that he and his gang of Marauders had a few big secrets that he hadn't told me yet. He'd promised he'd explain everything to me once the timing was right. We'd only been dating for two months. I didn't expect him to spill his entire life story to me, especially if (as I strongly suspected) those stories could get him and his friends in massive trouble. But I couldn't deny that it bothered me a little. I tried to cover it up with a smile, but he seemed to notice. "What's your Patronus?" He asked suddenly.

"Why?"

"A true Patronus is essentially an animal representation of your spirit, kind of like an Animagus," he explained. "We thought it would be fun to give each other nicknames based on that."

"Oh. That's why they're all animal-themed," I realized. "So, Prongs is..."

"A stag," he filled in, and my heart jumped. Amazed, I stared at him for a moment, feeling a burst of happiness in the pit of my stomach. He frowned, bewildered. "Lil? Are you okay?"

Breaking into a huge grin, I drew my wand, thought of this exact moment, and said, "_Expecto Patronum_." A silvery doe burst from the tip of my wand and bounded around the room like she was happy to be freed. The female deer paused to greet James and I before fading into thin air.

I didn't think I would ever forget the look on James's face. His eyes were wide with a delicate sort of awe as he watched the Patronus disappear. Then he turned to me and beamed like I was the best thing he'd ever seen.

The next thing I knew, he was pulling me into a wholehearted embrace. For a few minutes, life was a beautiful blur. His warmth was pressing up against me, his lips were caressing mine, his hands were tracing circles on my back, and my own hand was raking through that untidy black hair that I'd secretly been dying to touch since fourth year. I felt like I was floating. I couldn't remember ever being so content with the world.

Then Marlene cleared her throat in the doorway, and we broke apart, both breathing hard and red in the face. My best friend was in nothing but a towel – her hair was wrapped up in a separate one as well – but she didn't seem nearly as embarrassed as _I_ would've been to have James see me like that. Her hands were on her hips, and she was smirking at us in a haughty way. "Hm. I don't remember boys being allowed in the girls dormitory." She looked pointedly at James, who fixed his eyes on a spot on the wall five feet to the right of my toweled friend.

"Sorry, Marlene. Lily was just helping me with my makeup."

"And your hair too, I see."

I felt like my face was on fire, but James grinned. I couldn't help but smile too as he gave me a quick goodbye kiss and hurried toward the door. Marlene stepped aside for him, but he paused to look back at me. "Meet you at quarter of seven to walk down to the Hall?" He checked, adding hopefully, "And we can talk more tonight, if you want."

I smiled, feeling warmed from head to toe. "Yes, to both."

He flashed me one more show-stopping grin and gave Marlene one more hasty apology before leaving the room. Rolling her eyes at me, my friend closed the door and muttered, "I swear, I leave the room for twenty minutes, and you become a necrophiliac. I'd better not ever leave you two alone for more than a few hours, or I'll be a godmother at seventeen."

"Marly!" I protested, blushing deeply. Marlene looked satisfied, and I realized she was just riling me up. I crossed my arms. "That wasn't _all_ we were doing, you know."

She smiled as she brushed her wet hair. "Oh, I know. It was excellent makeup. Very convincing. Making his hair look like he'd just crawled out of the grave was a nice touch."

I started looking for my nurse's outfit to hide my burning face.

For the next twenty minutes, we busied ourselves with our hair and makeup, talking excitedly about the party. At one point, Mary ran in to grab her costume and hurried off to get a shower. We both chuckled as she scrambled out the door, grumbling something about her boyfriend making her late. Marlene shook her head. "Boys are nothing but trouble."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "I thought you liked trouble."

She shot me a glare, but she was smirking. "Watch it, Lil." She turned back to the mirror and frowned at her hair. "Speaking of trouble, what do you think screams 'fallen angel' – straight or curly?"

I thought for a moment. "Curly."

* * *

I was just fixing the white skirt on my costume (I'd accidentally made it a little too short for my liking) when Marlene asked, "What do you think?"

I turned and looked up her and down, impressed. Her cinnamon-colored hair fell over her shoulders in loose curls, and her eyes were perfectly lined, dark but not too dark. Somehow, she'd managed to transfigure an old black dress robe to have sheer sleeves. The waist and hips were fitted more tightly, and the bottom was cut a few (respectable) inches above her knees, fading into tattered see-through material below that. Her black combat boots and bewitched halo topped it off quite nicely.

"Wings?" I suggested.

"That's where you come in. You're better at Transfiguration."

I waved my wand, and a huge pair of black angel wings unfurled from her shoulder blades. The impressive feathery attachments were so long that they nearly touched the floor when they folded. "Oh, Merlin, I think I overdid it."

Marlene beamed at the mirror. "Are you kidding? They're beautiful! I feel like I could fly away!"

"Aren't they heavy?"

She shrugged. "A little, but I'll get used to it." She did an eager pirouette, and the wings kicked up a breeze that scattered all the parchment in the room. I couldn't help but laugh. Thrilled, Marlene turned to face me again. "Am I missing anything?" Before I could tell her that she looked great, she blurted, "Oh! Almost forgot." She picked up one of the spare pieces of parchment and pointed it her wand at it. After a flash of blue light, she was holding a lemon. She scowled. "Damn. It was supposed to be an orange."

"For Sirius?"

The mischievous gleam in her eyes made me smile. "I have to keep that pirate away from me somehow."

I wanted to point out that a joke intended specifically for him would do the opposite, but I figured she already knew that. "Are you sure he's going to be a pirate? He mentioned something about a vampire."

Marlene shrugged, tossing the lemon back and forth between her hands. "I like to think that I changed his mind. Besides, I'm not carrying about a smelly piece of garlic all night."

I couldn't argue with that logic, and after talking to James, I was convinced that Sirius would dress up as a pirate if he knew it would make Marlene happy. Oblivious, my best friend turned back to the mirror and adjusted her already perfect hair. By that faint smile and the way her eyes glowed, it was clear that her mind wasn't really on her reflection. She caught me smiling at her in the mirror, and she came out of her daze.

"What?"

I considered my phrasing carefully. I couldn't make it too obvious that I knew anything other than what Marlene was already showing me. I technically hadn't promised James I wouldn't say anything, but I still felt obliged to keep Sirius's secret. "You seem happy," I said simply.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm excited for the party." She furrowed her eyebrows at my expression. "Are you suggesting I'm excited about something else?"

Her suspicious tone suddenly made me regret opening up this topic. I was positive that Marlene was enamored, but I wasn't sure how she'd react when she realized it. Would she be mad at me? Would it make things awkward between her and Sirius? I tried to look and sound neutral, but part of me feared it was already too late to backtrack. "I'm not suggesting anything," I said lightly.

Marlene turned away from the mirror to face me. Her wary glare didn't change. "Lily."

I hesitated. My best friend was too stubborn. If she knew I was hiding something from her, she'd only get annoyed with me - until she eventually worked it out for herself. Then I realized that acting out of character would only make me more suspicious, so I put on a teasing smile and said what I probably would've said before I'd talked to James. "It just seems like you're excited to see a certain Marauder."

A mix of confusion and panic flickered in her brown eyes. Then she huffed an exasperated breath. "You mean Sirius? We're just friends, Lil. There's no reason to get all smiley about it."

"Okay," I said innocently.

She shot me a glare. "You don't believe me."

The defensiveness in her tone worried me. I carefully considered my phrasing. "I'll believe whatever you tell me."

"What is there to tell?" She snapped. "Just because I think he's..." She hesitated, making a wry face. "Never mind. Just forget it."

Uneasy, I tried to distract myself with finishing my outfit. That conversation wasn't going in any direction I liked, but the silence was just as tense. I didn't want Marlene to be angry with me, and I didn't want to try to sway her one way or the other. But if she was in denial, like I suspected...

"_Shit_."

I jolted a little and looked up. Marlene was staring at her reflection in a sort of quiet horror. Her sudden change in mood was more than a little worrying. "What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't answer right away, which made me even more anxious. "Marly? Are you okay?"

I flinched as she let out a frantic string of curse words. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands, so she alternated between wringing them, covering her mouth, and messing with her hair. "I'm an idiot," she scolded herself between expletives. "I am _such_ an idiot!" She stopped, staring at her reflection with a helpless look. "I'm not going to the party tonight."

"What?" I yelped. "Don't be silly! It starts in thirty minutes, and you're already dressed!"

Marlene shook her head, her auburn curls bouncing frantically. She took a shaky breath and sat down on the edge of her bed, causing her huge wings to splay out. "I can't. I don't want to. I'm too..."

"Nervous?" I filled in quietly.

She groaned and buried her face in her hands, muttering, "_Shit_. Shit, shit, shit. You're right, Lil. I'm a complete idiot."

Feeling a mix of sympathy and amusement, I sat down next to her and put my arm over her shoulders, which was a little difficult because of the wings. I gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. You're not an idiot."

"Yes, I am!" She blurted in frustration. "I'm not supposed to do this anymore!"

"Do what?" I asked, startled.

"Fall for blokes like him! It always starts out fun, and then everything goes downhill really quickly. It's awkward as hell. Been there, done that. Over it. No thank you."

I frowned. I'd had some reservations too, when I'd first realized my feelings for James. But that was before I'd gotten to know him – and Marlene already knew Sirius. I supposed he did have a bit of a bad track record, but I couldn't see him acting the same way with her. They'd been friends for years now, and recently they'd been more affectionate toward each other than a lot of the couples I knew. "I know how you feel," I assured her. "There's always a risk with these kinds of things. But Sirius...honestly, I think he really cares about you."

Marlene's head sprung up from her hands, and she stared at me intently. "Did James tell you something?"

My stomach did a corkscrew. Truthfully, I would've told her that I thought Sirius liked her whether I actually knew it for sure or not – I was trying to stay in character, after all – but the direct question made me freeze up. "No," I lied. My voice was a higher pitch that it should've been.

In a whoosh of feathers, Marlene jumped to her feet, gaping at me in disbelief. "Lily Evans! You're lying to me!" I winced, and she demanded firmly, "Does Sirius Black fancy me?"

There was no trying to hide it. Marlene knew me way better than I knew James. Ashamed by my epic failure to keep that secret, I grimaced, wishing I could curl into myself. Then I noticed her expression, and hopefulness eased my guilt. My best friend was beaming, but not in a triumphant or smug way. She looked genuinely thrilled. "Would that be a good thing?" I asked tentatively.

To my dismay, her brilliant grin flickered away, and worry overcame her again. "No," she muttered, covering her mouth again. "No, no, no, this is even _worse_. Oh, shit, I am so screwed."

"Why?" I asked, confused by this emotional rollercoaster. Marlene stammered a few times and then gave up. She couldn't seem to find the words or the energy. I decided she needed some firm guidance, so I stood up, took her by the shoulders, and looked her in the eye. "Tell me honestly. Do you fancy him?"

She gave me an exasperated look and snapped, "What kind of question is that?" I raised my eyebrows, and she mumbled reluctantly, "Yes."

"Why?"

That made her blush, which was not an easy feat. She seemed annoyed now – probably at me, Sirius, and the world in general – but I kept my gentle grip on her shoulders. "Because..." She took a deep breath and spilled rapidly: "Because he's sweet, and funny, and charming, and he doesn't give a damn what people think, and he's always really happy to see me, and..." She growled and stomped her foot like she was angry.

"And?" I prompted, smiling fondly.

"I hate this," she grumbled. I released her shoulders, but I didn't stop waiting for an answer. Blushing even more, she finally muttered, "And he's really hot." I laughed, and I was relieved to see her grin return – but it quickly turned into a grimace. "But I can't."

"Why not?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not good at this whole relationship thing, Lil."

"That's not true," I argued. "You've had some back luck and some bad guys. How can you say that this would be the same?"

Marlene grimaced. "What if he doesn't feel the same way I feel?"

I blinked. "But he _does_." She gave me a weary look, and I realized what she meant. "Oh." I took a deep breath and sat down on the bed again, patting the space next to me. Folding her wings awkwardly so she wouldn't whack me, she plopped down at my side. "You're beautiful, Marlene," I began calmly, "and a lot of gits would tell you they like you just for their own self-interest." She exhaled softly like she was amused by my phrasing. Her eyes looked a bit distant, and I wondered if she digging up bad memories. Having gone to school with her for six years, I knew that particular scenario had happened several times now – and that it bothered her more than she would ever admit.

"But I really don't think that's what Sirius is after," I continued, and she looked up at me hopefully. "I'm willing to bet that he's absolutely crazy about you. And you know why?" I smiled at her. "Because you're smart, and funny, and stubborn, and you don't worry about what people think, and you could kick anyone's butt in Quidditch. You're the coolest witch I know."

She smirked. "Keeping it PG, now, are we?"

"That's your takeaway?"

She chuckled, bumping her shoulder against mine affectionately. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

"So you'll come to the party?"

For a second, the nervousness crossed her face again. Then she put her classic determined scowl, and she nodded. "There's no way I got all dressed up like this for nothing."

"Good, because I said I'd meet James in five minutes..."

Her eyes widened, and she jumped up in panic. "_What_? That's too soon!"

As she fussed with her hair again, Mary burst into the room in her full vampire outfit and cried, "Someone transfigure fangs on me!"

Marlene caught my eye and gave me an exasperated look. "Should've brought that garlic after all."

* * *

On our way down the stairs to the common room, Marlene murmured quietly to me, "You really think he means it?"

I smiled. "Yeah. I think so."

"And if he doesn't?"

I paused. "Then I'll be here for you. And James will probably fill his bed with fire ants."

Marlene smirked. I was happy to see the spring in her step made her dark wings flutter just a bit more.


	3. Five Seconds in Heaven

_Five__ Seconds in Heaven_

_Marlene_

I was going to murder Mary tonight.

The Halloween party had been going swimmingly before she butted her fanged face in. After the holiday feast in the Great Hall, all of the Gryffindors from fifth to seventh year returned to the common room for the festivities, bringing some guests from the other Houses as well. As per usual, the Marauders provided drinks and candy from Hogsmeade (even though students weren't supposed to be able to go to the village this time of year). Frank Longbottom had even managed to call in some favors and get a band to play. For those first few hours, I was having a great time, and I'd actually interacted with a certain Marauder without making a fool out of myself. Finally, once the band had left and most of the younger kids went to bed, Mary suggested that we all play a friendly game of truth or dare. And that wasn't even the main reason I wanted to kill her.

The group of about twenty of us made a circle on the floor and used an empty bottle of butterbeer to decide the order of the turns. I was feeling pretty good about the fact that the spinning bottle had been avoiding me for the past few minutes. I was _not_ prepared to answer a certain truth – and I was pretty sure Alice Fortescue had charmed the bottle to glow when it detected a lie.

After a red-faced Frank had finished telling us his most embarrassing childhood story, he spun the bottle and it landed on Sirius. "Dare," he said immediately, and I couldn't help but smile at him. He was looking adorably dorky in his makeshift pirate outfit, with his Gryffindor tie wrapped around his forehead, a tattered white t-shirt under a leather jacket, and black jeans tucked into a pair of combat boots like mine. A single golden earring gleamed from his right ear, and a thin chain hung around his neck, both borrowed from Lily. His roguish smile and shaggy hair fit so perfectly with the look that every time I glanced at him – at least once every ten seconds or so – I felt pleased with myself for suggesting it.

And if I really wanted to take that tie off his forehead, throw it around his waist, and use it to pull him in for a kiss...well, nobody had to know about that.

"I dare you to sing the entire school song for us," Frank said. Several people laughed, and a certain three groaned.

"Oh, please, don't make him sing," Peter begged. He was transfigured to look like a mouse, with round gray ears and a pink button nose.

Sirius ignored him and asked, "What if I don't know all the words?"

"You're in your last year, and you don't know the school song?" Remus inserted. He'd decided to dress up as a teacher, which James and Sirius had been teasing him about all night. I thought the glasses and fancy robes suited him quite well.

"What are you gonna do, Professor, take points from me?"

Frank reasoned, "Well, sing what you do know and make up the rest."

By the time Sirius finished his cringe-y and much more profane version of the school song, we were all in stitches. Grinning proudly, he took a bow and sat down again. "Thank Merlin that's over," James the inferi complained. "I didn't know how much more of your singing I could take. I already hear it enough in the shower."

"_Shh_, James," Sirius whispered theatrically. "People aren't supposed to know that we shower together."

James punched him in the shoulder as the rest of us laughed. Lily was blushing like she was embarrassed, but she joked, "I didn't need to know that."

"You're welcome to join us anytime, Lil," Sirius said smoothly, and James punched him again. Even he was blushing a bit now. (I assumed it had nothing to do with Sirius and everything to do with Lily.) Sirius's barking laugh was contagious, and after the butterbeer, the dancing, and the ridiculous serenade, my face was starting to hurt because of how much I'd been smiling. Then Sirius spun the bottle, and my heart skipped a beat as it slowed near me. To my relief (and then slight disappointment), it stopped right next to me – on Mary.

"Truth," she decided.

"Tell us about your first kiss," Sirius said instantly.

Mary's pale vampire makeup couldn't hide her deep blush. I fought back a snicker. Lily and I knew the embarrassing story, and Sirius must have had some idea of it, judging by the devious gleam in his eyes. "Skip," Mary muttered after a moment, and he pouted.

"Aw, come on, Mary, everyone has an embarrassing romantic story."

"Everyone also is allowed one skip," Mary argued, and he rolled his eyes as she reached for the bottle. It spun in ten full rotations until eventually landing...on me. I felt a wave of relief. _Perfect. Mary wouldn't make me do anything too stupid._

"Dare."

My friend's blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she glanced at Sirius and then back to me. That wasn't a good sign. Before I could give her the proper warning glare, she announced, "I dare you to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with Sirius."

My stomach turned into a ball of worms, and I tried not to blush at the collective, "Ooooooo!" For a second, I didn't know who to look at or how to react. All I knew was that I was needed to find a wooden stake so I could kill my vampire friend as soon as possible.

"I think you switched party games, Mary," Lily pointed out jokingly, with an uneasy undertone that everyone else (except maybe James) probably missed.

I glared at Mary. "You're using my dare to get back at him for his question?"

She grinned. "Maybe."

Resisting the urge to whip my wand out and show her how revenge really works, I glanced at Sirius. Part of me hoped he would give me a reason to skip the dare, and the other part wanted him to say something flirtatious that would embolden me to pull him into a dark room and kiss him until we were both breathless. Unfortunately, he did neither. His expression was remarkably calm, and his alert gaze said, _Your call._

Still, I felt like I didn't have a choice. If I used my only skip, I would be calling attention to the fact that I was uncomfortable with the dare – which, if I only had friendly feelings toward Sirius, shouldn't have been the case. But if I did go along with it..._oh, Merlin, help me_. The idea made me feel like I'd swallowed a million tiny butterflies. Part of me didn't even want to think about what might happen, but a much larger and much less sensible part was screaming at me to take this chance and run with it, even if it might end in disaster.

Remembering myself, I put on a calm expression and raised my eyebrows at Sirius, as if to say, _Is this cool with you?_ He smirked and shrugged slightly: _Sure, why not?_ Then I rolled my eyes at Mary to show everyone that I was just a bit annoyed at her – when in fact I wanted to wring her neck. "Is that all?" I asked, keeping my tone lightly sarcastic.

"Yep. That's all," Mary replied, beaming at me. The glimmer of pride in her eyes was unnerving. I made a mental note to ask her later if she had given me this dare for reasons other than revenge. Either way, I was going to kill her.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my chin and stood. "Fine. Where are you locking us up?"

* * *

Luckily (or unluckily for us), there turned out to be a broom closet just outside the Fat Lady's portrait. The space was hardly wide enough for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder in either dimension. "Perfect," I muttered as I walked inside, careful to avoid the dust-bunnies. I waved my wand and cleaned the place up a bit as I heard Sirius step inside too, only a few inches behind me.

Before I could turn around, Mary called happily, "Have fun!" Then the door closed and locked behind us, and everything went black. I tensed, suddenly forgetting to breathe. In the dark, my imagination went wild. I could almost feel his arms looping around my waist, his lips on my neck...

Then the room was washed in stark white light, concentrated at the tip of Sirius's wand. "There," he murmured. "That's better."

Able to breathe again, I banished the unwelcome thoughts and tried for a playful smile. "Aww, but it was so much more romantic before."

His grin made my heart flutter. "Maybe I want to _see_ who I'm kissing," he teased, leaning the slightest bit closer. For a split second, his eyes lingered on my lips, like he was actually considering it. A mix of alarm and excitement made me feel like fireworks were fizzing around in my gut. His grin wavered. For a few seconds, the air was buzzing with tension.

Then, like he was remembering something, Sirius cleared his throat and turned his attention to the door. He pointed his glowing wand at it and mumbled an unusually long incantation under his breath. I could feel a ripple of powerful magic flow out of his wand. I raised my eyebrows at him, impressed. "An Imperturbable Charm?"

"Just in case anyone gets any ideas."

"Good," I decided, smirking. "Now they won't be able to hear all the wild sex we're having."

The joke slipped out before I really thought about it. Sirius looked as surprised as I felt, and for once in my life I was worried that I'd gone too far. Then his bark of a laugh split the silence, and the tension popped like an insignificant soap bubble. Relieved, I couldn't help but join in laughing.

When we both sobered up, I declared briskly, "Well, if we're going to be stuck with each other for six-and-a-half more minutes, we might as well get comfortable." I rested my back against the far wall and sank to the floor. As Sirius sat down across from me, I crossed my legs underneath me to make more space, and he did the same. Still, his knees were nearly brushing against mine (which I made a point to ignore). I fussed with my bulky wings for a few seconds before deciding that it made more sense to vanish them.

When the Lily's beautiful feathery creations melted into thin air, I heard a disappointed noise. I smirked at Sirius. Sitting cross-legged with his back against the door and that pout on his face, he looked dangerously adorable - even with the bizarre shadows. He had set his wand on thin sliver of floor between us, so it felt a bit like we were sitting around a white campfire at dusk.

"What's wrong, Blackbeard? Missing your bird?"

His gray eyes glittered in the wand light. "Pirates need company too, you know. It gets lonely out there on the sea."

I snorted. "Your jokes keep getting worse and worse."

"You called me _Black_beard," he pointed out.

I grimaced when I realized the pun. "Touché." Then I remembered something, and I started smiling like an idiot. "Speaking of terrible jokes," I said as I fished out a what looked like a lemon drop from the hidden pocket in my dress.

Sirius seemed impressed. "Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think you were the type to keep a stash of candy on you."

"I'm not." Smirking, I tapped the so-called candy with my wand, and it grew back to its original size. I handed him the lemon and said cheekily, "It's for your scurvy."

He pursed his lips like he was determined not to grace that with a laugh. "Thank you, darling. You're always looking out for me," he responded courteously, accepting the fruit. His tone lost its sarcasm as he remarked, "I'm kind of surprised you remembered. But I thought you said it was for keeping me away from you?" His eyes gleamed. "You changed your mind?"

Trying not to blush, I rolled my eyes. "Hard to keep you away from me when we're stuck in a closet."

"True." He considered the lemon for a moment. "Not that I'm upset, but I was really expecting an orange."

"Yeah, so was I," I muttered, and he chuckled. Then he tapped his wand against the lemon, and it morphed into the correct fruit. I pouted. "Show-off." Smirking, he proceeded to cut the orange into neat slices using magic. I raised my eyebrows as he offered me a slice. "Seriously?" He grinned at my phrasing, and I said quickly, "Don't say it."

He chuckled again. "Fine, but only if you help me eat this."

I put on a defeated look as I took a slice, but soon, I could feel that giddy smile creeping onto my face again. For at least three of the seven minutes, we just sat there eating and joking around, and I started to feel like we were relaxing on the Quidditch Pitch after practice – not locked in a tiny, dark, dusty closet. The realization made me feel strangely happy. "What?" Sirius asked, noticing my mood.

"Just...this," I said contently, gesturing broadly to the closet and the two of us, with a half-eaten orange slice in my hand. The motion was a bit awkward in the tight space. "It's weird, isn't it?"

He suddenly looked uncertain – an uncommon expression for him. "I dunno. Do _you_ think it's weird?"

"We're both in costume, sitting in a closet and eating an orange," I pointed out.

"An orange you specifically gave me. Was I _not_ supposed to eat it?"

I hadn't thought of it like that. I started to wonder how much of what he was doing tonight was aimed at making me happy. Feeling oddly flattered, I smiled. "I suppose that's fair."

He nodded and said simply, "Good." Then his expression became sheepish again. He took a moment to vanish the orange peels littering the floor, but I had a feeling it was only to distract me from the tinge of color that had crept into his face. I tensed, fighting an urge to lean in and kiss him. I cursed my stupid heart. Why did he have to be so damn _attractive_? I took a slow breath, trying to control my thoughts. If I really wanted this to be different than my past relationships, I couldn't just go throwing myself at him...

...Or could I?

I suddenly questioned whether I was going about this the right way. Sirius was definitely attracted to me; I didn't need Lily or James to tell me that. And based on the way he was acting tonight – his unusual hesitance, his frequent smiles, the number of times I'd seen him blush (which I could've counted on one hand up until tonight) – it seemed like Lily's intuition was right. Maybe he really _did_ like me the way I liked him...

In any case, I was starting to think that I was missing my chance. An overwhelming amount of evidence was telling me that if I kissed him now, he wouldn't respond negatively. But a twisting sensation in my gut was holding me back. It wasn't nervousness in the now so much as fear for the future. I hated the idea of my easy, fun connection with him becoming just another uncomfortable breakup. I'd already had my heart stepped on and kicked around by too many guys who I'd hardly even liked; I didn't want to think about how much worse it would hurt me if the same thing happened with someone who I _did_ care about.

_But if you never take the chance, this won't go anywhere_, a voice in my head argued, sounding annoyed with me. _At least do something!_

"Marly? You alright?"

I jolted a little, and Sirius's concerned face came into focus. His gray eyes were boring into mine, like reading my thoughts was a particularly tricky spell that he was trying to master. His intense gaze made my face heat up, and I instinctively looked away. What was _wrong_ with me? I was supposed to be fearless, confident, heart-breaking Marlene! I was the girl who broke the Slytherin Quidditch captain's fingers; the girl who boys warned their friends not to mess with; the girl who casually hung out with the Marauders like it wasn't the fantasy of half the damn girls in the school! I had a reputation to live up to! But under those inquisitive gray eyes, I felt like a first year again, awkward and shy.

_Damn, I have it bad._

Steeling my resolve, I met his eyes. Uncertainty was mixing with his concern now. I swallowed and rubbed my arms where goosebumps had sprung up under my sheer sleeves. "It's bloody cold in here," I said at last, though I suspected the bumps were there for a different reason.

His expression changed into a determined frown, and he started to move. Realizing what he was doing, I tensed and said forcefully, "No." It was the only word I could manage without blurting what I was thinking: _That's not what I meant! Stop being cute!_

Sirius paused to raise his eyebrows at me, with one arm halfway out of his leather jacket. "No?" He echoed innocently. The hint of amusement in his tone made me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time.

"Don't you dare, Sirius Black."

A smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth. "Pirates can be chivalrous too, you know."

I pursed my lips and glared, but I couldn't come up with another protest. Sirius chuckled and finished taking off his jacket. He draped it over my shoulders and made sure it was covering my arms. Then he grinned, looking pleased with himself. "You're adorable when you're angry."

With great effort, I fought back that stupid giddy smile so I could keep scowling at him. The fondness in his voice made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and the jacket didn't help. Cradled in the strong smell of leather with just a hint of pine – a combination that was so _him_ – my mind was muddled with happiness. I couldn't help it. My scowl eased into a childish pout. "I am _not_ adorable."

Sirius was still grinning at me. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say, darling."

"Like you can talk," I muttered without thinking.

He frowned, looking genuinely confused. "I'm adorable? How so?"

I tried to ignore my racing heart. I really hadn't intended on explaining it. "Well, this, for one," I said feebly, waving the edge of his jacket.

He stared at me intently. His face was calm, but his eyes were now glinting with that sparkle of mischief. "Any other reasons?" He suggested innocently.

I glared at him, feeling my face heat up. "You just _are_, alright? You and your bloody pirate outfit, and eating that orange, and just..." _Everything_, I wanted to say, but I stopped myself. My heart did a cartwheel when I noticed him beaming at me like I'd just told him he'd won the lottery. I got the feeling he'd heard the unspoken end of the sentence.

Then, without explanation, his grin flickered away. I frowned, watching as he made a wry face and then scowled at his knees. He looked up at me again with something like desperation before grimacing and turning away.

"What's wrong?" I asked, pulling his jacket a little closer to me. It did nothing to stave off the cold anxiety that was forming in the pit of my stomach. By now, I was used to his unusual shyness, but this was something entirely different.

"Nothing," he said lightly, but he could hardly look at me.

I felt my expression harden. "Sirius."

He sighed, leaning his head back on the door and closing his eyes. "I feel stupid," he mumbled.

"Why?"

He looked at me for a half-second. Then he forced a smile and shook his head. "Just talking to myself. Don't worry about it."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. He was acting _especially_ unlike himself now. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about it, but the way he kept avoiding my eyes was giving me a weird feeling. "_You're_ clearly worrying about it."

He waved his hand. "Nah, it's nothing."

"Is it about me?" I guessed. His hesitation was his answer. "Tell me," I persisted, fighting to sound calm.

Sirius took a deep breath. For three agonizing seconds, he met my eyes, and I saw the struggle that was happening in his. I tried desperately to read his mind, but I still couldn't make sense of all the emotions I was seeing. Then, looking frustrated, he squeezed his eyes shut and muttered something that made me feel even more lost:

"I knew this was a bad idea."

Something inside me splintered, like a shards of glass digging into my chest, each one as cold as ice. "What is a bad idea?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

When Sirius opened his eyes again, he seemed alarmed by the look on my face. Desperation flooded his voice: "Shit, no, I didn't mean..." He faded off, apparently helpless to continue.

My fingers tightened around his jacket. The jagged pieces of my heart started to fuse back together, forming a stronger model. "Whatever you're trying to say, just say it," I demanded firmly, not caring how cold my voice sounded.

"Marly, I..." He took a shaky breath and scowled at his wand, still glowing on the floor between us. He had that look that told me he was on the verge of doing something very reckless. Then he turned back to me, and his stubborn eyes were filled with one very clear emotion: _longing_. I tensed, realizing what he was going to do a second before he did it. Still, I did nothing to stop him as he leaned toward me and pressed his lips to mine.

As my shocked brain lagged behind, my senses kicked into overdrive. He smelled like the woods and tasted like oranges, and the touch of his soft lips sent chills down my spine. For a second or two, I froze, unable to process it all. Then an intense warmth melted the shards in my chest, and my traitorous heart started thumping so hard it hurt, drowning out the desperate cries of warning from my brain. I melted into the kiss, mirroring his enthusiasm. I heard a sigh of relief – I wasn't sure if his or mine – as he rested one hand on my side and cupped my face with the other. His touch made my skin burn like a campfire. Letting the feeling consume me, I snaked my arms over his shoulders and played with the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He drew a shallow breath and pulled me closer, and I couldn't help but wish that we had at bit more time in this closet. The way he reacted to my touch was definitely something worth exploring...

_This is a bad idea._

That awful phrase sliced through the happy fog and turned my bruised heart to stone. I abruptly pushed away from him, breathing heavily. The cold, dusty air stung my throat and burned my lungs. Seeing his look of utter confusion, I felt tears pricking my eyes, and a wave of frustration filled me with a very different kind of warmth. Furiously, I wiped my eyes and stood, and he mirrored me. Unfortunately, he was the one closest to the door, and it would've been more than a little difficult to go around him. "Open the door," I ordered coldly.

"Why? Marly..." He took a step toward me, and I pressed my back against the wall, gripping my wand in my pocket. I couldn't bring myself to point it at him, but he seemed to get the sentiment. Hurt mingled with the confusion in his eyes, and I gritted my teeth as more tears sprung up. I felt angry at myself, both for causing him pain and for feeling sorry about it. "What did I do?" He begged, hitting me with another irrational pang of guilt. He really did sound distraught. Then my anger came back in full force.

"'_This is a bad idea'_?" I yelled, and he stiffened. "How can you say something like that and then kiss me anyway? Is that all I am to you? Just another one of your _bad ideas_?"

His wide eyes held something like fear. "_No_! I—" He made to move toward me and then seemed to think better of it. He took a shaky breath. "That came out wrong. I swear that's not what I meant. You mean way more to me than that."

He seemed genuine, and I wanted so badly to believe him, but his kiss had left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I'd run out of patience to try to decipher my confusing emotions. For the first time since we'd stepped in the closet, I felt claustrophobic. I clenched my fists and tried to take deep breaths. "Let. Me. Out," I commanded with deadly seriousness, trying not to notice the way my voice quavered on each word. More tears threatened to spill over, and I hastily brushed them away, wanting to punch something. I _hated_ feeling like this! So pathetic and vulnerable, all because of a stupid, misguided, _wonderful_ kiss...

_Boys are nothing but trouble,_ I remembered ironically. I wished I would've taken my own advice.

I never got to find out whether Sirius would've actually let me out on his own, because at that moment, the door swung open, and Mary's beaming face appeared in the brightness of the hallway. "Time's up!"

Somehow feeling relieved and even more suffocated at the same time, I pushed past Sirius and marched toward the common room, venomously shouting the password at the Fat Lady. She seemed offended, but I couldn't bring myself to care about that. As her frame swung open and I climbed through the portrait hole, I heard Mary's alarmed accusation echo from where she and Sirius were still standing:

"What did you _do_?"

Blinking back tears, I threw off his jacket and ran up the stairs to the girl's dormitories without looking back.


	4. Honesty

_Honesty_

_Sirius_

"She's not coming down."

The words hit me like a punch to the chest, but I refused to give up. "Can't you talk to her?" I begged.

Lily looked exhausted. Seeing her like that made me uneasy, but I knew I couldn't afford to beat myself up about that. The amount of guilt and worry eating away at my stomach had already reached physically painful levels, and I wasn't sure how much more I could handle.

"What do you think I've been doing?" She responded, sounding annoyed with me. I didn't blame her. At the look on my face, she sighed and gazed wearily at the deserted common room, dimly lit by the ever-crackling fire and the moonlight seeping in through the windows. She was in her pajamas: sweatpants and an oversized Led Zeppelin t-shirt. I tried not to focus on the gold angel graphic; it reminded me too much of a certain fallen angel who was avoiding me like the plague.

"Lily, _please_. I really need to talk to her."

She gave me an exasperated look. "Yes, you do, but not _now_, Sirius. It's 4AM. You need to go to sleep. We all do. You can talk to her in the morning."

"It _is_ the morning," I pointed out, undeterred.

Lily rubbed her face tiredly. Her bright green eyes seemed to have lost their spark. Then she frowned in concern, and something flickered in them. "Is James...?"

"Asleep. Remus dragged him away about two hours ago."

She nodded slightly. "Good. I was afraid he was going to camp out here too." She gave me a bewildered frown. "You know you can wait on one of the couches, right?"

"I'd rather stay on the floor."

That was hardly true, but I couldn't allow my mind to dwell on how much comfier the cushions would be than the cold marble at the base of the stairs to the girl's dormitories. I could feel the tiredness clinging to my eyes, and I knew that if I sat down on a couch, I'd be asleep in a matter of seconds. And if by some miracle Marlene _did_ decide to come down and hear me out, I couldn't afford to miss her. I had a feeling it would be ten times harder to talk her round after she'd slept on it. That was the downside to her fiercely independent type; if she woke up tomorrow and concluded that she hated me and wanted nothing to do with me, there wouldn't be much I could do to change her mind. I just hoped that I could talk to her before she made a decision. _If not..._

My stomach clenched, and I firmly put a stop to that train of thought. I _would_ talk to her before that happened. I had to. I remembered the way she'd kissed me, and my insides twisted tighter. I was fluent in _that_ kind of communication, and Marlene wasn't the quiet type. Her kiss had told me loud and clear that she liked me a hell of a lot more than I'd thought she did – maybe even as much as I liked her. I'd tried to tell her in the same way, after I'd failed epically at putting it into words. And for about five seconds, that musty closet really had felt like heaven...before my slip-up came back to haunt me.

Now Marlene thought I was only messing around with her, all because I was too much of a coward to properly tell her how I felt.

Lily was giving me a sympathetic look, which kind of surprised me, considering how badly I'd upset her friend. Crouching down next to me, she put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed a little. Even that small gesture of comfort made my throat tighten. "I'll remind her that you're down here," she said gently, and I nodded, hoping that my gratefulness showed in my eyes. Her dark red eyebrows knitted in concern. "I'm going to get some sleep, though. Please try to do the same, alright?"

I nodded again, even though I had absolutely no intention of resting until I knew I'd done everything in my power to fix the mess I'd made. "Thanks," I said quietly, and she offered me a small smile. Then she was gone, leaving me alone with nothing but the crackling of the fire and my thoughts.

* * *

"Why are you on the floor?"

My eyes fluttered open, and I lifted my head from the wall in a groggy daze, vaguely wondering when I'd passed out. Then I recognized the voice, and I straightened up, wide-eyed and alert. Marlene was wearing a Holyhead Harpies T-shirt with a pair of matching sweatpants that hugged her hips a bit too nicely for my liking. Her curly cinnamon hair was rumpled and messy, and her expression was heartbreakingly detached. Her brown eyes focused on me with the sort of cold, defiant look that she might have given to a player on an opposing Quidditch team. Even with the residual redness of her face and the faint swelling around her eyes, she was her typical intimidating self.

I got to my feet and started to talk, but she cut me off with one word: "Don't." Obediently, I pressed my lips shut and stayed quiet. I half-expected her to start laying into me, but she didn't. She just stared at me for a few seconds with an expression I couldn't read. Then she took a deep breath and sighed in exasperation. "You're ridiculous."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I waited. Silently, she walked over to the couch that was nearest to the fireplace. When she saw that I was still standing at the base of the stairs, she rolled her eyes and jerked her head at the couch, like: _Well?_ _Are you coming or not_? Unsure what to expect, I followed her lead, sitting down on the couch an arm's length away from where she had settled down. Then she took out her wand, and two large steaming cups of hot chocolate appeared on the table in front of us.

Without a word, Marlene wrapped her hands around the cup closest to her. Vaguely fascinated, I watched as she blew some of the steam off the surface and brought it to her lips for a careful sip. Then she lowered her cup and stared into the fire. The flickering firelight turned her brown eyes amber. In that moment, despite how painfully clear it was that she'd just been crying, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. For a few seconds, I stared, unable to look away. I probably would've been mesmerized even it hadn't been some ungodly hour of the morning and my brain hadn't been muddled with exhaustion and helpless attraction. Then, without moving her head, she turned her blazing eyes to me and murmured, "It's not poisoned, you know."

Not wanting to upset her, I took the other cup and gazed uneasily into the brown swirling depths. I took a sip, but the guilt working its way up from my stomach gave the scalding liquid a bitter taste. Losing my appetite, I rested the cup on my thigh, grateful for something warm to hold. Then I caught myself wishing I could hold her instead, and I remembered why I'd waited here all night. I paused to take a deep breath. I'd practiced what I was going to say to her over and over again, but her hot-chocolate-in-front-of-the-fire routine had thrown me off, and my brief unintentional nap had erased most of the eloquent monologue that James had helped me come up with. I sighed. _Guess I'm winging it..._

I racked my tired brain, trying to figure out where to start. The same phrase played on repeat at least ten times before I finally gave in, figuring it was as good a place as any.

"I'm an idiot."

I fully expected her to say something sarcastic and Marlene-ish, like: "Do you want a medal?" Instead, she continued staring intently at the fireplace without reacting. That didn't seem like a good sign. Still, I could feel her listening, so I took a deep breath and continued, "I should never have said what I said."

Again, her expression didn't change. She had gone still as a statue, holding her cup and watching the flames. Her silence was starting to worry me. I suddenly remembered the most important bit of advice James had given me:_ Be honest_. I took a deep breath and asked softly, "Can I tell you what I was really trying to say?"

At that, she turned her head. Her amber eyes seared into mine, simultaneously curious and wary. Summoning the bravery that I'd been drilling into myself all night, I stared right back at her and said, "I like you a lot, Marly, and not just because you looked fantastic in that costume." I hesitated, wondering if that was inappropriate to say at the moment. Deciding that it probably didn't matter, I continued: "You're the most stubborn, confident, quick-witted person I know. I can't get enough of you – the way you mess around with me, that cute little pout when you know you're wrong but you don't want to admit it – just everything about you. And...I would love to take you on a date to tear up the school sometime. Or Hogsmeade. Or anywhere, really. We can Apparate all around the country, if you want."

Realizing I was getting a bit off track, I stopped myself, but when I noticed her expression, I wished I would've kept going. She was _smiling – _really, genuinely smiling at me like I was the only thing she could see. It wasn't a full grin, and there was still some reservation in her eyes, but it was definitely progress. Feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest, I stared at her hopefully. For once, I didn't care how warm my face was. Then her expression soured, and she asked, "How did you arrive at 'This is a bad idea' from all that?"

"That's where me being an idiot comes in. I'm not very good at the whole talking-about-your-feelings thing. I was trying to tell you all that stuff that I said just now, but...I couldn't. When I said 'This is a bad idea', it was because I was mad at myself for making things awkward. I didn't really mean to say it out loud. Then I tried to _show_ you...but that plan backfired too." Grimacing, I continued more softly, "I'm sorry. I never meant to make you cry. I really do care about you – way more than I've ever cared about any other girl." I blinked. "That makes me sound awful, doesn't it?" I sighed, frowning at the full cup of hot chocolate in my lap. _Good job, Padfoot, you're really selling yourself..._

Thankfully, Marlene didn't seem repulsed. She was just staring at me in bewilderment. "So, you're saying that all his happened because you tried to tell me you liked me and fucked it up in the worst possible way?"

I smirked dryly. "Took the words right out of my mouth." Uneasily, I glanced up at her. She was staring at the fire again, frowning like she couldn't decide whether she wanted to hug me, strangle me, or give up and go to bed. I hated seeing her so upset because of me. I almost wished she'd start yelling and hitting me. It would've been easier than watching her sit and wrestle with her emotions. "I'm sorry," I repeated quietly.

She gave me an exasperated look, but then her gaze softened. Leaning her head back, she rested it on the rim of the couch and stared up at the ceiling for a long moment. Then she closed her eyes and let out a loud, defeated sigh, and a smirk pulled at the corners of her lips. To my amazement, she lifted her head and scooted closer to me until our legs were touching. I felt a shiver as her fingers gently slipped between my cup and one of my hands, lacing with my own. There was a familiar gleam of mischief in her eyes when she eyed me warily.

"You're lucky you're cute."

Relief washed over me like I'd stepped into a hot shower, and I couldn't help but grin. _I love you_, I wanted to say, but I caught myself. A strange explosion of dread and happiness filled my entire body at the thought, and my chest became a blend of warm and cold tingles. _Woah, there. Take it easy, mate. One groundbreaking confession at a time..._

Marlene squeezed my hand and gave me that flirtatious smile that never failed to make me feel like I was floating. "So. About that date you promised?"

"Are you free tomorrow?" I asked. "Or, technically today."

She groaned. "Don't remind me." Then she smiled. "But...yes. I am."

"Perfect. Meet first thing in the morning?"

Smirking, she joked back, "You'd better make it the afternoon. Some people's boyfriends like to keep them up late." Then she did something very out of character: she blushed and bit her lip. It seemed like she was about to apologize, but she stopped herself. Turning even redder, she looked away.

Ordinarily, if a girl I'd just asked out referred to me as their boyfriend, I'd probably feel uncomfortable. That title carried a lot of expectations and commitment, and the one or two relationships where I'd been someone's "boyfriend" had ended poorly. But this was Marlene. This was the girl who'd threatened to hex me in second year when I'd told her she was cute; the girl who'd deliberately knocked Lucius Malfoy off his broom while she was thirteen and he was seventeen; the girl who I'd been getting closer to for months now because she was my best mate's girl's best friend; the girl who made me feel like a carefree eleven-year-old again.

She was an exception.

The instant she made the slip-up, a spark rippled through me, and I couldn't help but grin excitedly. "I'm your boyfriend?" I teased her. I couldn't quite keep the happiness out of my voice.

She pouted at me, opening and closing her mouth like she was trying to come up with a snappy comeback. "You damn well better be, after all this," she finally told me in a disgruntled way, but she was still looking at me with that adorable shyness. I realized that it was her way of asking me. She was giving me a choice – as if I'd want to choose anything else.

I put on a thinking face, and her gaze became suspicious, like she knew I was up to something. "Alright. I'll be your boyfriend," I decided in a light tone, ignoring how hard my heart was thumping. "On one condition." She raised her eyebrows at me dangerously, and I could practically hear her saying: _You'd better be joking, Sirius Black, or I'll hex that smirk right off your face. _The thought made me smile even more. Meeting her fiery eyes, I finished simply, "You have to be my girlfriend."

A surprised chuckle escaped her lips, and I felt a glow of pride. "Is that all?" She asked coolly, but her smile was warmer than any cup of hot chocolate.

I raised my palms. "That's all. But before you say yes—" She shoved my shoulder, and I grinned and went on, "Really, I have to warn you: it's not an easy title. I can be a pretty big pain in the ass."

Marlene rolled her eyes and said dryly, "Believe me, I know." Then she smiled affectionately at me, and my heart thumped harder. "But I can be a stubborn bitch. So I'm sure this will work out perfectly."

I chuckled and returned her fond smile. "I'm sure it will."

And as our lips met for the second time, I believed it.


End file.
